Beacons land at UK airports to send out offers and rewards

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE: Up to 100 million passengers could be reached by beacon network

Eight UK airports are to roll out a network of 200 Bluetooth Low Energy beacons that will deliver notifications such as offers and rewards to passengers while they wait for their flights. The service is expected to be extended to other airports across the country in the future.

The project has been put in place by airport advertising network Eye Airports in partnership with mobile marketing and NFC specialist Proxama. It includes London Gatwick, Stansted, Bristol, Southampton, Inverness, Newcastle and East Midlands airports.

“Potentially connecting over 100 million passengers, advertisers will use this technology to deliver targeted content such as offers and rewards, including offers that can be redeemed while passengers are in the airport,” Proxama explains. “The partnership will mean brands can continue to connect their physical and digital assets via mobile to increase consumer engagement, retail sales and loyalty across a network of high footfall locations.”

“As the consumer chooses to receive these [location-based marketing] messages, they feel more involved in the communication process and, most importantly, can specify who they want to receive offers from,” says Sarah Parkes, managing director at Eye Airports.

“Based on our experience, we have already seen a 24% click-through rate from our beacon deployments, which is higher than traditional forms of mobile marketing and much more targeted than email and geofencing,” adds Jon Worley, CEO of Proxama’s marketing division.

“By providing owners with complete control over their media network, beacons are fast becoming a cost-effective method of marketing. They have proven to be ideal for indoor environments, providing high-precision proximity marketing, particularly when GPS signal is weak. Unlike other forms of marketing such as geofencing, beacons provide an in-the-moment experience based on real-time data, which is fast becoming a popular approach to connect with today’s digital-savvy consumer.”